Week 7 of Pregnancy

7 Weeks Pregnant. What is happening to you? How is your baby developing? Here is the low down on what is happening to you and your developing baby during the 7th week of pregnancy?

picture of folic acid tablets

You may be in the throws of morning sickness by now or you may be lucky enough to not have it at all. Pregnancy has set in and by now you may start to feel more tired than usual. Although you may feel unwell your developing baby is growing rapidly.

The Embryo/Fetus

The embryo is about 7-9mm long now. It has webbed fingers and toes. The teeth and palate are beginning to develop. The skin around the embryo is paper thin and veins are visible under the skin.
The head, heart, spinal cord and some of the larger blood vessels begin to form. As these blood vessels are formed the heart begins to pump fluid through them creating the embryos first red blood cells.

The bones in its limbs are beginning to develop. The major organs are all growing rapidly. Interestingly the embryo / fetus goes through three sets of kidneys during development and this week it is going through it's second set. This week the genital organs begin to develop although it is far to early to see whether your baby will be a boy or a girl. As mentioned in the article on finding out the sex at 6 weeks we discuss a new test that is available to determine the sex of your baby at 6 weeks old.

The embryo has already become active and is swimming around within the amniotic sac. Unfortunately he/she is far too small at the moment for you to feel him/her moving.

The Mother

Due to a change in hormones your skin may break out. This should calm down by the second trimester. If you experienced backache or headaches in the first couple of weeks these symptoms should start lifting. The bad news is that the sickness, tiredness, heartburn and breast tenderness will remain for a while yet. Some people have gained a few pounds by now but others may have lost some pounds due to sickness. You will not be visibly showing at this stage but you may be able to see the change in your body.

Health

It is important to try and eat as healthily as possible. This may seem impossible when you are feeling sick a lot. Gentle exercise can help lift the nausea feeling if you can drag yourself to do any.

Remember to continue to take your folic acid as this is important for the growth of the baby. This should be taken until at least week 12.

My Experience at 7 weeks pregnant.

Week 7 I felt a lot more nauseous than I did the previous week. The sickness started in the morning and did not go away the whole day or evening. It was waves of sickness and I had a general unwell feeling. I felt more tired than normal.

These symptoms are supposed to pass by the end of the first trimester. Not everyone will experience morning sickness or any of the symptoms described above. Each pregnancy is different but the most important thing is to look after yourself.